UK test facility Millbrook has announced a US$2.9m upgrade to its engine test center
A suite of new powertrain test facilities installed at Millbrook will enable it to offer full emissions development capabilities, in particular cold-start characterization to support engine calibration from -40°C and advanced road-load simulation modeling, as well as all-new equipment for advanced direct injection gasoline and diesel development.
Stephen Ratley, head of powertrain at Millbrook, says that the plans have been in the pipeline for some time: “Planning is the easy part we have always known what we needed to do to meet our objectives. We are in constant communication with our customers and moving with the latest technologies and test techniques. Millbrook is at the forefront of engine test and development. This investment will future-proof Millbrook, enabling us to lead the way for years to come. Having said that, it’s easy to plan the difficulty is adhering to the plan.”
Ratley says he is particularly excited about the added cold capability: “We have done a lot of work in this area with just the fluids and combustion air chilled to -30°C. Now we will be able to soak and run the entire engine at this temperature and get further refinement in this area of the engine calibration.”
According to Ratley, Millbrook aims to be the benchmark in this area, and it will try to establish industry standards and strive to exceed them in all areas of the business.
The upgrades are well underway two have already been completed, the third installation will commence in September, and the rest to be completed all before year end. “The upgrade process has been refined to reduce the downtime even further. This will also give us the capacity to upgrade in parallel if current project commitments allow,” says Ratley.
August 26, 2015
